Radar Lock

[Mister VCS]

One of you finished Radar Lock?

I can´t finish the 3rd level.

The docking-scene is very tricky!

By the way it is a fantastic game with great

graphics. What do you think?

[Tempest]

I never played it more than to test the cart to see if it worked. I don't like games that use two joysticks (ROTLA is a very rare exception), and I generally don't like over complicated flight sims since they really weren't the 2600's forte (or the 7800's for that matter). I may have to give it another look some day though.

 

Tempest

[mos6507]

Radar Lock is an awesome game.

 

I've gotten pretty far. In the later waves, you can do barrel rolls.

 

If anyone knows what the 2600 is like under the hood you'll really appreciate what Radar Lock delivers. It's equivalent in play-pattern to arcade games like F-15 Strike Eagle.

 

The attention to detail is exceptional. Your bullets alternate from the left and right side of the fighter, and as small as they are, they get smaller with distance.

 

All of the planes are color-striped with a gradient.

 

The AI on the enemies is very good, with nonlinear buglike swarming movements. That's pretty uncommon in 2600 games too, where most enemy movements are predictable and linear.

 

Solaris, Radar Lock, and Super Football were all really ambitious undertakings for the 2600, all 3d perspective with complicated displays.

[bcprs1]

I just picked up Radar Lock MISB for $5 at a videogame store. I was really excited to start playing it because it has the same feel as one of my favorite 2600 games Solaris. Can't wait till I have some more time to explore the game.

[Unbeliever]

Okay, can one of you post a screen shot of this game? I'd like to see it.

[Albert]

We have several screenshots of Radar Lock here on AtariAge. You can take a look at them here:

 

Atari 2600 Radar Lock Screenshots

 

Enjoy!

 

..Al

[Tempest]

Wow! Can you see the Solaris influance? Looks like Doug just took his Solaris code and hacked it into a new game. Pretty snazzy looking.

 

Tempest

[mos6507]

>>

Wow! Can you see the Solaris influance? Looks like Doug just took his Solaris code and hacked it into a new game. Pretty snazzy looking.<<

 

He reused some code, but while there are cosmetic similarities, the two games are not the same from a gameplay perspective. Radar Lock is an action game start to finish and Solaris has more strategy elements. There is no galactic map in Radar Lock. I also don't think there is any element of refueling in Solaris, whereas it's a key factor in Radar Lock.

 

Also, the fighter in Radar Lock doesn't shift from side to side with inertia the way the Solaris ship does. It remains fixed while the 3D perspective and horizon rotates. That's a big difference right there. It gives Radar Lock a more 3D feel vs. the 2.5D horizontal platform-shooter feel of Solaris.

 

BTW, he talks about this and his other 2600 games in Stella at 20 Volume 1...

 

Also BTW, this game is one of the most taxing (naturally) on emulators. A few years ago it would bring a Pentium II 200 to its knees.

[ubersaurus]

Solaris did have refueling, you did so by docking on feddie worlds. I love that game.

[Flojomojo]

Also BTW, this game is one of the most taxing (naturally) on emulators. A few years ago it would bring a Pentium II 200 to its knees.

 

I know this was written 16 years ago, but it tickles me to think of a time when Atari VCS emulation would bring any kind of computer "to its knees." Thank you!